Consideration of passenger comfort and convenience is a significant component of seat design. As the numbers of long- or extended-range aircraft (and other vehicles) grow in commercial fleets, passengers increasingly expend substantial amounts of time positioned in such seats. Passengers amenable to providing monetary value in exchange for enhanced comfort during long-range travel additionally have increased, as has availability of "frequent flyer" awards in which enhanced comfort is an advertised or corresponding benefit. Airlines and other commercial transportation companies thus continue to attempt to discern methods of improving the comfort and convenience of passengers as part of their overall operations.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,553,923 to Bilezikjian describes certain features of existing seats used typically in upper-class cabins. As noted at column 1, lines 25-30 of the Bilezikjian patent:
Business class and first class seats may be provided with a console with personal storage compartments, compartments for cocktail trays, and the like. A first class sleeper seat may include additional features such as a video monitor, an extendable leg rest, and other features for passenger comfort and convenience. PA1 provides greater comfort to the occupant and prevents or minimizes dishevelment of clothing during travel caused by shirttails being pulled from trousers or skirts as the seat back pivots.
One such other feature provided in some reclinable seats is an elevatable seat bottom linked to each corresponding back. U.S. Pat. No. 5,636,898 to Dixon, et al. discloses a specific linkage assembly for interconnecting the bottom and back of such a seat so as purportedly to provide a ratio of seat back movement to seat bottom movement of greater than 1:1. According to the Dixon, et al. patent, the complex linkage assembly includes not only two pivot members, but also a "hip-joint pivot connection" and a link bar connected to both the seat frame and at least one pivot member. With the linkage assembly, the associated seat is designed so that it
See Dixon, et al., col. 1, 11. 16-19.
Another feature incorporated into numerous commercial aircraft seats is a table stowable in an armrest of the seats. U.S. Pat. No. 4,944,552 to Harris details an exemplary table of this type, which in use is adapted to move angularly in a horizontal plane should, for example, a passenger need to depart his or her seat temporarily while the table is deployed. The Harris patent does not, however, expressly address any tilting or adjustment of the height of the table vertically while in use.